<p>What’s the word ‘punk’ come to mean 50 years later? It’s been adopted by the very people it sought to unsettle. Chris Sullivan – DJ, club runner, lecturer, former band-leader – arrived in London just as it kicked off and looks back at a time when everything was a challenge, no-one apologised, outsiders linked up and fought for recognition, and pop culture could change overnight. We talk to him here about ‘Punk: the Last Word’ which traces its roots from Socrates to Soho, touching on…</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… does ‘punk’ now mean conformity?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… is pop music still allowed to be outrageous?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… Socrates, Rimbaud, Lee Miller, the Warhol superstars: 2,000 years of people who embody the punk philosophy</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… how the clothes often precede the music</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… the 1975 pre-Pistols world – “people dressing as teddy boys, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, records by Patti Smith, the Velvets, MC5”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… the days when you were attacked for dressing up, in his case by the Newport Rugby team and a guy with a starting handle at a service station</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>... new punk equivalents emerging in 2025</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… how the spirit of punk gave people a drive and identity – Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Jonathan Ross, John Galliano</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;… “I threw a policeman through a plate-glass window”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Order ‘Punk: the Last Word’ here: </strong><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/punk/stephen-colegrave/chris-sullivan/9781915841254" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.waterstones.com/book/punk/stephen-colegrave/chris-sullivan/9781915841254</a></p><br><p><strong>Help us to keep The Longest Conversation In Rock going: </strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>

Word In Your Ear

Mark Ellen, David Hepworth and Alex Gold

Punk Rock recalled by Chris Sullivan - can music STILL be outrageous?

DEC 9, 202534 MIN
Word In Your Ear

Punk Rock recalled by Chris Sullivan - can music STILL be outrageous?

DEC 9, 202534 MIN

Description

<p>What’s the word ‘punk’ come to mean 50 years later? It’s been adopted by the very people it sought to unsettle. Chris Sullivan – DJ, club runner, lecturer, former band-leader – arrived in London just as it kicked off and looks back at a time when everything was a challenge, no-one apologised, outsiders linked up and fought for recognition, and pop culture could change overnight. We talk to him here about ‘Punk: the Last Word’ which traces its roots from Socrates to Soho, touching on…</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… does ‘punk’ now mean conformity?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… is pop music still allowed to be outrageous?</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… Socrates, Rimbaud, Lee Miller, the Warhol superstars: 2,000 years of people who embody the punk philosophy</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… how the clothes often precede the music</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… the 1975 pre-Pistols world – “people dressing as teddy boys, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant, records by Patti Smith, the Velvets, MC5”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… the days when you were attacked for dressing up, in his case by the Newport Rugby team and a guy with a starting handle at a service station</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>... new punk equivalents emerging in 2025</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>… how the spirit of punk gave people a drive and identity – Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Jonathan Ross, John Galliano</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;… “I threw a policeman through a plate-glass window”</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Order ‘Punk: the Last Word’ here: </strong><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/punk/stephen-colegrave/chris-sullivan/9781915841254" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.waterstones.com/book/punk/stephen-colegrave/chris-sullivan/9781915841254</a></p><br><p><strong>Help us to keep The Longest Conversation In Rock going: </strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear</a></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>